Counting Stars
by gr8rockstarrox
Summary: - when she's by his side, he can't stop counting stars - [Parvati/Blaise] - [Won 1st place at the Popular Pairing vs Rare Pairing Challenge on the HPFC forum]


**Summary:** Because with Parvati by his side, he never wants to stop counting stars. A story of how she goes from girl friend to girlfriend to ex-girlfriend, back to girlfriend, and finally, fiancée.

 **Pairing** : Blaise/Parvati

 **Warnings** : Cussing here and there

 **Notes** : It's written in a disjointed style that I recently came across (and fell in love with). Feel free to Ctrl+F the numbers to read in order, if you don't want to be confused. :) Personally, though, I suggest reading it as it is.

Written for the Popular pairing vs Rare pairing Challenge on the HPFFC.

Prompts:

1\. Counting Stars by OneRepublic

2\. I Do - NCIS New Orleans

 **Disclaimer** : JKR owns Harry Potter & co.

* * *

 _COUNTING STARS_

* * *

 **11**

They've come so far from where they were. And he has never felt more alive than what he feels right at this moment. Her head rests perfectly in the crook of his arm, as they both stare at the sky. He can't believe the fact that he finally has her. She is _his._ His alone. He still can't believe it.

Because he still remembers clearly how they became friends. He remembers the moment with great clarity. And unknowingly, he starts smiling at the memory of how they met.

"Blaise?"

He looks at her upturned face, her brown eyes as captivating as ever.

"Yes, love?"

"Are we still counting stars?"

"I don't think we'll ever stop."

She smiles at him, her dark red lips curling into that smile he has always cherished. He smiles back at her, and for that one moment, time stops.

He knows that he will never stop loving her.

* * *

 **2**

"Blaise!" calls out a voice behind him. It's the person he's been trying to ignore for the past few days.

He pauses, and turns to glare at her. She looks back at him, confused. He hates himself for what he is about to do. But he is in Slytherin, and he has no choice but to do this.

"What do you want Patil?" he asks, trying to make his voice cold. He doesn't know if he can continue his act if she continues to look right into his eyes.

Her eyebrows furrow at his use of her surname. He knows that she's always been Parv to him.

"What's wrong?" she asks bluntly.

May be that's why she is in Gryffindor. He knows that she is loud and spontaneous. He is quiet and calculative. She is the perfect Gryffindor. He is the perfect Slytherin.

"What's wrong is that a Gryffindork is calling me by my first name."

He feels bad when he sees her mouth drop open. For a moment, she looks like she is about to cry, but then her face becomes stony and her eyes start shining with righteous anger.

"It's better than being a snake like you."

She spins on her heel so fast that her braid nearly hits him in the face. She walks away, before he can call her back and apologise to her.

It really is better this way. It is the right thing to do if they need to survive peacefully in Hogwarts for the next seven years.

But Merlin, it feels so wrong. He feels guilty at having hurt his best friend.

And for the first time ever, he feels he has done something which can probably never be mended. He belatedly wonders if this will change the course of his life.

He has no idea how right he is.

* * *

 **8**

"The war has officially started, you know?" she asks, as they both sit side by side in the Astronomy Tower. It's a beautiful night, and they sit dangling their feet off the parapet wall of the viewing deck. It's a habit of theirs to meet up every alternate night.

He still can't believe the fact that Dumbledore's gone; that he fell right off this very tower.

"Yes, I know."

"Have you picked a side yet, Blaise?"

"You want me to fight for the Light? You know I come from a Dark family."

"I'm not asking you to fight for the Light."

"Then?" he asks, not sure if she is suggesting what he thinks she is suggesting.

"I'm just asking you to not fight against the Light."

He continues staring at the sky, looking at the stars. Something about those pinpricks of light make him feel so insignificant, and yet they make him dream of bigger things.

He often dreams of what he and Parvati could be, if there wasn't a war going on. In another world, his dreams would have centred around making his uncle's company grow bigger, and ensuring that Parv stayed his girlfriend. But that isn't his world. The world he lives in is full of life-altering choices.

And he has to choose now.

He doesn't say anything for a while, trying to memorise everything about the moment. The warmth of her body next to his. The smell of strawberry and cinnamon that comes from her. The way she feels against him. He looks back at the stars, losing himself.

"What are you thinking?" she asks softly.

"I was counting stars," he replies, turning to look at her. He loses himself in her eyes, just as easily as he lost himself in the stars.

There is so much he wants to say. He wants to tell her that he loves her, but it's too late now. He wants to tell her that he often thinks about the two of them together, taking on everything that life offers as a united front. But the timing's wrong. He should have told this a week before, when everything had seemed all right. It's too late now.

He looks back at the stars, knowing that if he says the wrong thing, he'll lose Parvati forever. He'll lose the woman he loves even before she finds out that he loves her.

"I'll stay neutral."

She buries her head into his neck and murmurs a thanks. He doesn't comment about the sudden wetness on his neck, as he feels her cry.

She so rarely cries that he feels his heart break. He understands exactly how she feels. He hopes she doesn't notice the one lone tear which makes its way down his left cheek.

* * *

 **1**

The first time he speaks to her is at Pansy's seventh birthday party. He has been forced to attend it, despite his telling his mother that he truly despises the idiotic girl.

Though he is only a month shy of being seven, he understands the importance of these events. These are opportunities for Purebloods to make connections and alliances. His own mother had met two of her past husbands at these events.

However, right now, he is hiding in one of the resting rooms off the ballroom, from Pansy and her equally annoying friend Daphne.

The two girls had walked up to him and asked him who was prettier. When he said that he found neither of them pretty, they both had started crying.

In retrospect, he realises that he should have told them both that they looked pretty. He had behaved like a Gryffindor instead of a Slytherin.

The curtain is pushed aside, and a girl walks in. She has long black hair, and her skin is an interesting shade of brown. She's wearing a bright yellow frock. He remembers seeing her at Theo's party as well.

She is scowling.

"Do you mind if I join you?" she asks politely, her scowl disappearing.

Blaise shrugs to let her know that he doesn't mind. He just doesn't want her to burst into tears like Pansy and Daphne.

She sits down on the other end of the sofa and says haughtily, "My name is Parvati Patil."

She holds out her hand, and he stares at it. Suddenly, he remembers his mother's instructions on proper Pureblood etiquette.

He takes her hand and kisses it lightly, just the way he had been taught. She flushes slightly but looks at him expectantly.

"Blaise Zabini."

She nods her head.

"Have I seen you before?" she asks bluntly.

"You probably have."

"But I didn't see you at Pansy's previous party?"

"I refused to come."

"What? Why?" she asks, her dark brown eyes wide.

"I don't like Pansy much."

Her mouth falls open, before she says quietly, "That's not a very nice thing to say about the birthday girl."

He rolls his eyes, an action he has learnt from his mother's latest husband.

"Don't you have a twin sister?" he asks, and she goes back to scowling.

"So what if I do?" she asks rudely.

"Nothing," he mutters, as she glares at the floor.

Blaise goes back to playing with his miniature finger-sized brooms that he brought from home without telling his mother, when the girl speaks again.

"Daphne Greengrass thinks my sister's dress is prettier than mine."

He looks up at her to see her scowling at the door now. But he has learnt his lesson, so he knows what to say.

"I think you look pretty in this dress," he says, hoping she won't burst into tears.

She smiles at him before saying, "Thanks. And also, thanks for making Daphne cry. She's looking for a Blaise Zabini right now."

He smirks at her, as she smiles at him mischievously. It makes her eyes sparkle.

"Just don't tell her or Daphne that I'm hiding here, will you, Patil?"

"Sure. You can call me Parvati."

"Then you can call me Blaise."

This girl isn't annoying, unlike Daphne and Pansy. She'd make a nice friend. So he smiles back at her, and invites her to his birthday party the next month.

* * *

 **5**

He glares at her as she sits out yet another dance. Obviously, Saint Potter isn't treating her the way she deserves to be treated. Blaise glares at the bespectacled boy. Doesn't he know that Parvati loves to dance?

His own date, the annoying Daphne Greengrass, has literally dumped him to spend the remainder of the night flirting with a Durmstrang boy. Blaise cannot care less. He finds that it is easier to just watch Parvati this way.

Finally, a Ravenclaw walks up to her and asks her for a dance. With a questioning glance at Potter, she goes off to dance with that boy. What is his name? Terry Boot?

Blaise's eyes narrow as the boy puts his hands on her waist. As the song continues, the boy's hands slip lower, and Blaise looks down to see that he has crushed a menu card in his anger.

It's unfair really. She looks so pretty in her traditional Indian wear, and that small strip of skin he can see at her waist is so bloody enticing.

He gladly notes that she stops the boy's hands from travelling downward any further. The song ends soon after that, and she hurries out of the Great Hall.

Being the stalker that he is, he follows.

He finds her standing against a broad pillar in the courtyard, watching the snow fall gently. He goes to stand beside her, and he imitates her stance. They stand there for a while, in companionable silence.

When he notices her shivering, he shifts closer, and decides to break the silence.

"Why did you choose Potter as your date?"

She turns to look at him coolly, and he gets his first close-up view of her face for the night. She looks adorable with a light blue colour _bindi_ in the middle of her forehead. Her lips are a dark maroon, and in the silvery moonlight, she looks beautiful.

"Why, jealous?"

"Who, me? Of course not!" he replies quickly, hoping that she doesn't see that it is a lie. But she sees right through it, and quirks an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, really."

"If anything, I feel sorry for you," he says, and Parvati narrows her eyes in response.

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, sorry that your date turned out to be lousy."

At that, she snorts quietly, a smile adorning her face.

"I think I knew that when I said yes."

"Then why did you agree to go with that Potter?" Blaise asks, confused and angry. "Did you just want the Boy Who Lived as your date?"

Her eyes widen, and she looks appalled, before she shoves at him, hard.

"Is that what you think of me, Blaise? That I'll stoop so low?" She looks furious, and he swallows thickly. She continues, "If you're so annoyed that I agreed to go to this stupid ball with him, why didn't _you_ ask me?"

And there's the question that Blaise has been hoping she wouldn't ask. Because in all honesty, he doesn't know why he didn't ask her.

She continues glaring at him for a while, before Blaise realises that she's waiting for an answer from him. She looks so pretty when she's angry. He likes how her eyes sparkle when she's truly furious. She probably doesn't know this, but when she gets angry, her nostrils flare ever so slightly, and Blaise thinks she looks adorable.

"Well, aren't you going to answer me?" she asks, her anger replaced by exasperation.

He takes a step towards her, and she looks confused. He takes another step, and she looks at him in suspicion. He takes one more step towards her, and her face goes blank. It's the expression that Purebloods have been practising in front of their mirrors since they were two.

They're now so close that their noses touch. Her expression is still blank, but her eyes belie her emotions.

He keeps his eyes wide open as he brushes his lips against hers. It's the slightest of touches, and so far, she hasn't protested. He moves his head back to see her response, only to see that she's looking at him as well, with her eyes wide open.

He feels exhilarated by what he has done. Sure, he has kissed Davis and Greengrass before, but he's never felt nervous before. So before he loses his nerve completely, he asks her in a rush, "DoyouwanttogotoHogsmeadewithme?"

A look of amusement settles on her face, and her eyes sparkle, as she grins and says, "Why don't you ask me that again, slower?"

He's now annoyed, because she seems to be enjoying herself. He huffs, before asking slowly, enunciating each word. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

She doesn't answer him, though she continues smirking at him. He regrets asking her. It's obvious that she's going to say no. Why did he even ask her, without thinking things through? He's not a bloody Gryffindor. That's her. Not him!

His internal monologue is cut short when she throws her arms around him unexpectedly, before she saying excitedly in his ear, "I've been waiting for you to ask me that for _so long_!"

Three hours later, as he lies on his bed in his room in the Slytherin dungeons, he smiles. Because though the Yule Ball didn't start off all that well for him, he thinks it ended pretty perfectly.

* * *

 **10**

Blaise enters the bar, and looks around for the familiar Indian woman. He doesn't know what to do with her. Why can't she get hammered at a bar in London? Why does she have to run off to Muggle bars at exotic locations?

He's thankful that his uncle has a house in Prague. There's no way he can Portkey a drunk Parvati back to England.

He finally spots her, sitting right at the bar, her head on the counter, her hand around a glass of scotch. He slips into the seat next to her, and asks the bartender for some cognac, his favourite Muggle alcoholic drink.

"You came," slurs a voice from his right, and he turns around to coolly regard her, setting his empty glass on the counter. His heart nearly breaks at the sight of her eyes so wide and childish. The horrors of the war obviously still haunt her, but probably not as much as the death of her bestfriend haunts her.

"Of course I came. I'll always come to get you."

Her eyes fill with tears, and he stares back at her. He doesn't know how to console her. It's been ten months since the Battle of Hogwarts, and he still doesn't know what to do. It doesn't help that she's not willing to talk. All she seems to want to do is to drown herself in alcohol.

Doesn't she realise it's self destructive?

"I'm sorry," she says brokenly. It's obvious that she's drunk. He should probably take her to his uncle's soon.

He tosses a wad of Muggle 'Euro' notes onto the counter, before picking her up bridal style and walking out. She's so light that it feels like she's under a feather-weight charm. He doesn't like how she's been neglecting her health.

It's cold outside, and she snuggles herself against his chest. He absentmindedly drops a kiss on her head. Despite her spiral into depression and destruction, he can't help but love her.

There are no Muggles in sight and he's about to Apparate, when she takes in a shuddering breath. That's when he realises that she's been crying softly the whole time.

"I really miss my bestfriend. I don't think anyone gets how much."

He looks down at his bestfriend, who's crying in his arms right now. He does get it, because as far as he is concerned, a part of her did die during the war. And he misses who she used to be.

So he says it so quietly that he's not sure if she heard him.

"I do, love. I do."

* * *

 **6**

"Stay away from me, Zabini!" she yells as him, holding her wand up.

"Parv, hear me out."

But she doesn't hear him out. She silences him, and then casts a _Petrificus Totalis_ on him. And being the idiot he is, he lets her. So now he's on the floor, looking up at her rigidly, as she stands over him, shaking in fury. He briefly wonders if he'll get a chance to see what colour her knickers are.

"I thought you were different from the other Slytherins. Why did you have to join Malfoy and his gang? And don't deny it. I was there."

She pauses to look at him, to look into his unblinking eyes.

"Just because Umbridge put you in some bitch squad doesn't mean you can torture people, Blaise. Five of my friends nearly died while at the Ministry. And the rest of us here were definitely not having a fun time."

She lets out a long sigh, her anger suddenly disappearing. Her shoulders slouch and she looks tired.

"I'm just - I'm just so disappointed. I'm not disappointed in you, though. I'm disappointed in myself for believing that you're different. I'm so glad that we decided to keep this whole relationship secret. This way, people won't pity me. Goodbye, Blaise."

She walks away, leaving him lying on the cold floor of the corridor leading to the Astronomy Tower.

Having nothing to do until the spell wears out, Blaise stares at the high ceiling above. He knows what he did was wrong, but he can't help it. It's years of prejudice that have been ingrained in him right from the time he was born.

He knows that he and Parvati are probably no longer together, but he doesn't care. He has the whole of summer to write her letters until she forgives him. He's a Slytherin. He'll definitely get her back.

Even if there's a maniacal Dark Lord running around.

Because she is _his._ Only _his_.

* * *

 **4**

"I heard you had your class with Boggarts today," he says, as he throws his bag down and sits next to her in the library.

"It was awful. Parv got an Egyptian mummy. Thankfully, I didn't get a turn," gushes her annoying friend, Lavender Brown, from the other side of her. Merlin, he despises that girl just as much as he despises Greengrass.

"You'll be having it on Friday, right?" asks Parvati, not looking up from the book she is reading.

He leans in to see what book she is reading, and she hurriedly pulls it away.

"Blaise! Go do something else!" she exclaims, before stuffing the book into her bag. But it's too late, because he's seen the title.

"'Seventeen Ways To Seduce & Charm a Wizard'? Seriously?" he asks, his voice incredulous. Brown giggles, while Parv blushes prettily.

Wait, did he just think of his friend as pretty?

Oh, no.

"It's none of your business, Blaise," she snaps, before standing up in a huff. "Come on Lav, let's go read somewhere else in peace." She grabs her bag and stalks out

Brown gets up and winks at him saucily, before picking up her stuff and walking out. He pays her no attention. He has more important things to think about.

For one, he realises that there might be a HUGE chance that he fancies his friend.

And what makes it worse is that there might be some wizard out there whole she plans to seduce and charm.

Gah, why did Parvati Patil have to look so damn pretty? It's all her fault.

* * *

 **7**

It's November of 1996, and Parvati still hasn't spoken a word to him. He has tried seeking her since school started, but she has successfully managed to avoid him at all costs.

All through summer, he had written her tons of carefully worded letters, but she had never replied. Finally, when he sent her a letter asking her if she even his read his letters, he had gotten a one-worded response from her. 'Yes.' And for some reason, that scrap of parchment had given him hope.

But now, he doesn't feel so hopeful. He feels like he's lost the one stable thing in his life. What with his mother and her black widow ways, there isn't a lot of stability in his life.

Deep in thought, he's walking back to his Common Room, when he gets pulled into a broom closet from behind.

"What the fuck?" he says angrily, his hand twitching towards his wand, when a familiar voice whispers a _Lumos._

He glares at her in the muted light, to find that she's glaring at him as well.

"What?" he asks, rudely. After all, this is the girl who has been repeatedly avoiding him for the past couple of months.

"Is it true?" she asks, her eyes flashing. Her eyebrows move in that way they do before she throws a tantrum.

"Is what true?" he asks her, truly confused. He doesn't want her to get any more annoyed at him. Is it a good sign that she's standing so close to him? That her breasts are literally touching his chest? Doesn't she know how teenage boys react to such things?

Her arms are on either side of his face, her wand held precariously. She smells like strawberries and cinnamon. Damn.

"That you fancy Ginny Weasley?" she asks, her eyes glittering in warning, her voice low.

Blaise wants to smirk at the moment, because he feels so _happy._ Obviously, Parvati is jealous. If he plays this right, he can get his Parv back. But like an idiot, he says the first thing that comes to his mind.

"Jealous, much?"

She breathes in deeply, and her wand clatters to the floor. There's no light now, but he doesn't need any to know that she's moved even more closer to him.

"Why should I be?" she asks, before crashing her lips onto his.

The last rational thought that he thinks before he loses himself in their snog fest, is that Parv can certainly do some amazing things with her tongue.

* * *

 **9**

"I thought you left," she says, her face tear stained and dirty.

"I... I couldn't leave you fighting," he says, and shifts his gaze to the cold dead body of his girlfriend's bestfriend.

He watches in silence, as she wraps her arms around the corpse of Lavender, and cries. There's nothing he can do to ease her pain.

So he sits by her, and rubs her back, as she cries till the hour runs out.

And when the time's up, she picks up her wand, which she had discarded earlier, and looks him in the eye.

"If I die before I kill Fenrir Greyback, will you kill him for me?" she asks quietly.

And he knows now, if he ever doubted before, why she was sorted into Gryffindor. And he has never loved her more. Counting stars with her seems to be something that belonged to a different reality.

"I promise."

* * *

 **3**

Blaise looks up as his compartment door opens. He tries to hold back a sigh at the thought of losing his sole ownership over the compartment.

"We can sit here!" comes a shrill voice. Blaise glares at the girl, when he realises that it's the girl who stole his Parvati from him. He hates this girl.

"Do you mind if we sit here?" comes the careful voice of his ex-bestfriend.

He shrugs, to show that he doesn't care. She narrows her eyes at him, before setting her trunk under the seat, and sitting opposite him. She then settles back into her seat and listens to the vapid bint, Brown, go on and on about some cute guy she saw during the summer.

Is this how stupid all twelve year old girls are?

Eventually, after five hours of non-stop chatter, the girl falls asleep. Blaise sighs in relief, even though it makes Parvati glare at him.

"So this is what you chose to replace me with?" he asks mockingly, trying to imitate Malfoy's facial expression. Even though he thinks Malfoy is a huge prat, he has to admit that that boy's got some of the best sneers Hogwarts has ever seen.

"Shut up, Zabini."

"So you're not defending your _friend_?" he asks, stressing on the last word.

"I don't think there's any need to. She's a better friend than what you'll ever be."

"Fine," he says, settling back into his seat. A whole minute passes by, before she explodes.

"No. It's not fine. I miss you. I want to be friends."

For a moment, Blaise feels relieved. And then he realises that it's his turn to say something. So he swallows his pride and apologises.

"I'm sorry. I just thought that if the other Gryffindors or Slyhterins saw us being friends, they'd make life hell. I just wanted you to have a peaceful life at Hogwarts."

She flings herself at him, and hugs him.

"Aww, Blaisey. Why didn't you tell me that clearly? We could have kept our friendship a secret!" she cries, beaming at him.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that when I turned nine!" he protests.

"So are we friends again?" she asks, disregarding his complaint about his 'pet' name.

"I guess we are," he says simply. In his mind, they had never stopped being friends.

"We'll be great 'secret' friends, you just see, Blaisey," she says, still grinning.

Blaise sighs, and prays that no other Slytherin, especially his friend Theo, doesn't find out that his mum used to call him Blaisey.

* * *

 **12**

 _Pride._

That's his predominant emotion, as he watches her walk up on the ramp after all the other models. She takes a bow, and all the people who have assembled applaud vigorously. In fact, it's a standing ovation.

She is now an established fashion designer, and her company, _Lavender_ , specialises in fashionable wear for witches. He's glad that he invested in her company, because now, he's reaping the benefits.

She plans on starting a line for wizards as well, which is why he has to do this now, before she meets some cute French model and decides that that guy is cuter.

He meets her backstage after all the critics are done praising her, as is tradition, and kisses her gently on the lips, before giving her a single yellow rose. That too, is tradition.

She picks it from his hand and puts it behind her ear, and he can't help but laugh.

"So how do you think the Spring collection looked?"

"Perfect," he says, still smiling at her. She looks so absolutely beautiful after each show. Her eyes always shine, and she looks alive. He loves seeing her like this.

He fingers the velvet box hidden in the pocket of his trousers, as she scoffs at him.

"You always say that, Blaise."

She smiles at him, and he knows that this is the perfect moment to ask her. She's full of warmth and sunshine. And seeing her smile makes it feel like there are bubbles exploding inside his chest.

"Parv?" he asks, after she dismisses all the other background helpers to take a break in the adjoining snack room before cleaning up the place.

"Yes, Blaisey?" she asks absently, as she holds up a couple of hangers in her hands, holding them against the light.

"Parv?" he asks again, waiting for her to see him.

She turns sideways to look at him, and Blaise takes that moment to go down on one knee.

"Do you want to count stars with me as Mrs. Zabini?" he asks, hoping that she won't be too annoyed by his rather roundabout way of asking her to marry him.

A look at her face tells him that she's not annoyed. If anything, she looks unbelievably happy.

"Finally!" she exclaims, before kneeling down on the ground in front of him and kissing him.

He finally breaks their kiss and stands up, pulling her up as well. He slips the ring onto her ring finger, and she grins at him.

"You do realise we'll need to have two weddings right?" she asks.

Feeling unreasonably romantic, he leans down so that his forehead rests on hers. If any of his business associates hear him saying this, he'll probably lose his face. But it doesn't matter. Because even if he's a Slytherin, it alright to act like a bloody Hufflepuff every now and then.

"I don't mind having a thousand weddings, as long as you're always the bride."

Her tinkling laugh tells him what he already knows.

That being engaged to her, for even less than five minutes, has made him soft and cheesy.

* * *

 ** _Fin_**

* * *

 **AN:** Reviews are love.

 **P.S.** This story won first place! Yay! Thanks  Angel N Darkness, for hosting such a lovely competition. :)


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